"Even beyond its typically religious expressions, true art has a close affinity with the world of faith, so that, even in situations where culture and the Church are far apart, art remains a kind of bridge to religious experience." - Pope John Paul II, Letter to Artists
Pope John Paul II addressed his 1999 Letter to Artists "to all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new 'epiphanies' of beauty, so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world." In using the word "epiphany," the Holy Father drew attention to art as the manifestation, or "shining forth," of the glorious beauty of God's creation. Accordingly, as the pope says elsewhere in the letter, beautiful works of art serve as "a kind of bridge to religious experience," and thus as a genuine source of moral, spiritual and cultural renewal.
The Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture's fifth annual fall conference examined the variety of ways in which the fine arts can help build a more genuinely Christian civilization in an era that is ever more deeply post-Christian in its character. Our first triennial series culminated in proposals on how to build a genuine culture of life, and the last conference reflected on the renewal and formation at the heart of such a culture. This conference focused our reflection on the fine arts and their place in a culture of life.
We welcomed the submission of abstracts drawing on a wide range of moral and religious perspectives and academic specialties. Themes explored included:
The Center was especially interested in attracting to the conference as many working artists as possible, both to speak from their own experience as artists and to illustrate their commitment to their crafts through live performance and exhibition.
One-page abstracts for individual papers included name, affiliation, address, and e-mail address (if available). Session presentations were limited to twenty minutes. Proposals for live performances, panel discussions and artist-meets-critics sessions were also encouraged.
Deadline for submissions was July 30, 2004. Notification of acceptance was mailed by August 31, 2004. One-page abstracts, along with your full contact information were e-mailed to ndethics@nd.edu or mailed to:
Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture
Epiphanies of Beauty
1047 Flanner Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556
